


(I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You

by islndgurl777



Series: give michael guerin a friend 2k19 (make that friend maria deluca) [6]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Animal Abuse, Gen, gratuitous alien pop-culture references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 21:47:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18374714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/islndgurl777/pseuds/islndgurl777
Summary: “How goes Operation: Stitch?” Maria asks as she plops onto Alex’s couch.He laughs as he drops down next to her. “What? What’s that?”“Operation: Stitch. You know, where you befriend a grumpy alien and integrate him into society and your family,” she says, sipping her water.





	(I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know where this one came from, my dudes. And, despite the title (from UB40's 90's cover, to keep up the theme) and the summary, there are no Michael/Alex love confessions or scenes with them in this fic. The title refers to another love that blossoms in this fic... Also, I swear I'm moving toward Michael and Alex getting back together, but I just love writing these friendships so much? I don't know when it will happen, but I want it to.
> 
> Trigger warning (as stated in the tags) for animal abuse. Details in the end notes.
> 
> Unbeta'd.

“How goes Operation: Stitch?” Maria asks as she plops onto Alex’s couch.

 

He laughs as he drops down next to her. “What? What’s that?”

 

“Operation: Stitch. You know, where you befriend a grumpy alien and integrate him into society and your family,” she says, sipping her water.

 

He rolls his eyes. “Oh my God, Maria, we are not calling it that. First of all, he’s not some crazy genetic experiment--”

 

“That you know of.”

 

Alex furrows his brow, wondering, but ultimately ignores her comment. “--and he’s never been mistaken for a dog.”

 

Maria scrunches her nose. “Okay, so it’s not a perfect codename. This is why you’re the military guy and I’m the plucky friend who nags you into making a move.”

 

“I would never describe you as plucky, Maria,” he says seriously.

 

She rolls her eyes and says, “Deflection. Operation: Quill? There are some definite similarities there.”

 

He considers this, then shakes his head. “Nah, he’s not conceited enough.” They’re both quiet for a minute, contemplating, and then, “What about Operation: Song?” She feels his immediate embarrassment.

 

She furrows her brow as she tries to make the connection, and all the while Alex is getting more flustered. Finally, she gets it and she has to grin widely at the reference. “Oh, Alex, you old romantic, you.”

 

“Shut up,” he says, hiding his face in his hands. “That was a dumb one.”

 

She leans into him and nudges his arm. “All of time and space and they kept finding each other. I think it’s pretty appropriate.”

 

He shrugs, looking away from her with a long sigh. “Yeah, but it didn’t exactly turn out well for them, did it? They always had shit timing, and in the end he leaves her behind forever. Nothing but a memory.”

 

His heartache fills the room and she wraps an arm around him, laying her head on his shoulder. “What about Operation: Ponds then? At least you know they lived happily ever after.”

 

Alex huffs out a laugh and protests, “Neither of them were an alien.”

 

Maria shrugs. “So? At least the codename is related. We don’t want to be too obvious, right?”

 

“Right,” he says, and his tone is conciliatory, but he still feels anxious. “How about we hold off on naming the operation until I talk to him? I have to come clean about some things and I’m not sure an Operation: Ponds will be likely. I’ll be  _ lucky _ to end up with an Operation: Stitch, actually.”

 

She considers him, considers Michael. Considers what she knows of their relationship thus far. Considers how they feel when they talk about each other. She shakes her head. “No, it’ll be Ponds. You feel too much for each other to end up as a Stitch, and I refuse to let Song happen to either of you.”

 

He startles at the conviction in her voice, his doubt permeating the room. “Maria, we’ve been through...a lot. I don’t know if we can come back from this.”

 

“Well I do,” she says quietly, firmly. There’s no doubt in her mind. “Neither of you deserves this kind of heartache, you’re too good. Both of you deserve the weightless feeling I felt from you when you told me about your first kiss, and from him when he told me the same story. It’s too precious to give up on, Alex. Promise me you’ll try.” She holds up her fist, pinky extended, a resolute look on her face.

 

Alex narrows his eyes at her. When she doesn’t budge, he sighs, links his pinky with hers, and says, “Deal.”

 

///

 

She’s doing inventory at the Wild Pony the next afternoon, shoulders tense for a reason she can’t explain. Her phone pings with Michael’s tone and she finishes counting the row before she takes it out of her pocket.

 

[From: Michael] (2:57 pm): Are you busy?

 

[To: Michael] (2:59 pm): What’s up, Guerin?

 

She still feels uneasy and she knows this is why, so she stares at her phone until she gets a response.

 

[From: Michael] (3:01 pm): I found a puppy inside the trunk of one of the cars at Sanders’. The car’s not new, so someone had to have brought the puppy, put it in the trunk, and left it there. On purpose. 

 

[From: Michael] (3:02 pm): It was 80 degrees outside when I heard her whimpering.

 

[From: Michael] (3:02 pm): I’m at the emergency vet, waiting for them to tell me if she’ll be okay. I’m trying to keep calm but I don’t think I can keep a lid on it much longer. Everything’s about to start flying around the room.

 

[To: Michael] (3:03 pm): I’ll be there in ten. 

 

She speeds through town, heart hammering the whole way. She tries Max’s cell and leaves a terse, “It’s Maria, call me,” on his voicemail. Liz is next but she doesn’t answer either. “Damn it!” she slams her hands on the steering wheel when she has to sit at a red for too long.

 

Finally, she makes it to the vet and runs into the waiting room, scanning for Michael. There’s another person waiting with their cat, which is staring towards the far door, hair standing on end. The receptionist feels uneasy, but greets Maria with a smile. “How can I help you?”

 

“My friend asked me to come, said he found a dog in the trunk of a car?”

 

Some of their unease is lifted and they say, “Sure, he’s in room 3. Second on the right through that door.” They point to the door the cat is eyeing distrustfully. 

 

“Thanks,” she says, and heads for the door. The atmosphere is heavier the closer she gets to the exam room and she hopes he’s still keeping a wrap on his powers. She opens the door and pokes her head in first to be sure. 

 

He’s sitting in a chair, legs spread wide with his elbows resting on his knees, leaning over to put his head in his hands. He looks up when she opens the door and breathes out, “Thanks for coming.”

 

She shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it, honey. How are you doing?” She kneels in front of him and takes his hands, squeezing hard.

 

“I’m about to lose my shit, Maria. I was out and around all morning, which means they had to have left her sometime last night, or yesterday. That car’s been there forever, and no one even goes that far back into the lot anymore. I  _ barely _ heard her--”

 

The jars on the counter start rattling so she squeezes his hands again and interrupts. “Hey, breathe with me. In, out.” She breathes steadily, making sure to keep eye contact the whole time, willing him to calm down with her. When she can feel he’s steady enough to continue the conversation she asks, “Have they told you how she’s doing?”

 

“No, they took her half an hour ago to run some tests and I haven’t heard anything since.”

 

“Okay. That doesn’t mean anything bad, necessarily. It just means they’re taking care of her. Why don’t you talk to me about something else while we wait?” She sits in the chair next to him and keeps one of her hands in his for comfort.

 

He stares blankly ahead, squeezing her hand rhythmically for a minute before he says roughly, “I started a Master’s program last week.”

 

She turns to face him more fully, shaking her head in surprise. “Michael, that’s great! For what?”

 

There’s a pause, his uncertainty filling the room. “Mechanical engineering.”

 

His whole body tenses but his hand loosens from hers. She grips tighter, not willing to let him go. “You don’t have to feel bad for pursuing your dreams, and you don’t have to hide it from me. This is something you’ve wanted for a long time, isn’t it? I mean, that bunker didn’t just fill itself overnight.”

 

He shakes his head and says softly, “No, I’ve been looking for a way home almost my entire life.” There’s a hurt pang as he says it, and a sense of loneliness and abandonment.

 

“Then I’m glad you’re one step closer to achieving it.” Her tone is supportive and does not betray her own hurt and heartache. He’s carried the emotional burdens of others long enough; he doesn’t need to carry this one as well. She also has a feeling he’ll need someone whenever things come to a head with Alex and she doesn’t want to give him a reason not to come to her.

 

“Thanks,” he says, not looking at her, but squeezing her hand again in gratitude. After a few quiet minutes he says, “I’m okay now. If you need to get back to work.”

 

She laughs and shakes her head. “No way, Guerin. I’ve got to meet the girl who made you lose your shit.”

 

He rolls his eyes and says, “I didn’t lose my shit.” The pause is long enough for her to turn to him, eyebrow raised, but his lips are twitching. “I  _ almost _ lost my shit. There’s a difference, DeLuca.”

 

She laughs and they chat about nothing in particular until the door opens and the vet walks in carrying a small, whimpering little puppy. Michael jumps up and immediately reaches for her.

 

“Here he is, little Daisy, you’re okay,” the vet says soothingly to the puppy, helping her crawl from her arms into Michael’s.

 

The puppy crawls up Michael’s torso and shoves her nose behind his ear, snuggling up against his chest. Michael has one arm supporting her back legs and the other on her back to hold her steady against him. He makes sure she’s settled before he looks to the vet.

 

The vet smiles and says, “I’m Dr. Gonzalez. I was told she was whimpering when you brought her in, and that she was having trouble walking, yes?” She waits for Michael’s affirmative nod before she continues with a smile, “She was much more active after my technician brought her back, kept scratching at the door and whimpering. We ran some basic tests and kept an eye on her as she explored the back room. She’s dehydrated and a little malnourished, but there doesn’t appear to be anything else wrong with her. We think she just didn’t want to be taken away from you.”

 

Michael looks stunned and his hand stops running down the puppy’s back. She lets out a pathetic whimper and he immediately starts running his hand down her back again. “She’s okay?”

 

Dr. Gonzalez nods. “She’s going to need close monitoring over the next few days as you slowly increase her food and water intake so she doesn’t get sick, but she should be fine, given a little TLC. I heard you found her in the trunk of a junk car?”

 

Michael nods, his brow furrowing in anger again. Before Maria can step forward to lay a soothing hand on his arm, the puppy starts whining. He breathes in slowly, visibly working to calm himself down as he comforts her. “Sorry,” he says roughly. “Yeah, and it’s lucky I did find her, because there’s a good chance I wouldn’t have gone back that way today and she would have been killed.”

 

Dr. Gonzalez nods in understanding, her anger boiling well below the surface. “Well, be sure to file a police report. I’ll send over a statement tomorrow morning.” Michael nods in agreement and she eyes him for a minute before she asks, “Are you planning to take her home with you?”

 

Michael startles, snapping his gaze from the top of the puppy’s head to the vet. “What?”

 

Maria bites down on a smile and shakes her head, shrugging when Dr. Gonzalez looks to her, amused. “I’m here for emotional support. Guerin was really upset when he found her like that.”

 

Sensing an ally, Dr. Gonzalez turns back to Michael. “They won’t be able to keep a close eye on her at the pound. She’ll need extra attention for the next week at least, until she’s recovered.”

 

Maria leans into his side, running a gentle hand down the puppy’s back as she says, “Take her with you. She needs you to take care of her.”

 

“Wh---But--” he sputters, and Maria can’t hold back her laugh because she doesn’t think she’s ever seen him so baffled before.

 

“Guerin, look at her. She’s in love with you.”

 

He squeezes the puppy a little tighter to his chest, and she nuzzles into his neck a little more, a happy sigh leaving her as she settles into sleep. “But I live in a trailer.”

 

Dr. Gonzalez shrugs. “She was left to die in the trunk of a car. This is a step up for her.”

 

Michael narrows his eyes and opens his mouth to respond, but Maria steps in. “And it’s not like you spend all of your time in there. You’re outside most of the day. You could make a pen for her, or tie her up outside the garage while you work. I don’t think Sanders would mind.”

 

“What about--”

 

“And if you bring her to the bar, you can leave her in my office, or the back room. Same at the Crashdown, I don’t think Liz or Arturo would mind.” He opens his mouth again but she keeps going. “Max and Isobel and Noah have big yards for her to run around in if you take her there. So does Alex.”

 

He glares at her and she shrugs, unrepentant, when he can’t find another excuse. “Fine,” he says, his scowl losing its potency as he rubs his chin on the puppy’s head.

 

“Great!” Dr. Gonzalez says brightly. “Let me give you my card, and we can arrange a check-up for next month!”

 

Fifteen minutes later they’re standing between their trucks in the parking lot, the puppy still cradled to Michael’s chest. “You want me to go with you to the pet store?”

 

“Nah,” he shakes his head. “I think I can handle picking up a bed and some bowls for her, DeLuca.”

 

She shrugs and sets her hand on the puppy’s head. “Daisy?” she asks, looking up at him as the puppy sleepily pushes her head further into her hand.

 

He blushes and she can feel his embarrassment, but he only shrugs. “They needed a name, and it was the first one that popped into my head.”

 

She smiles and nods. “It’s a good name. Call me later if you need any help with her, okay?” He nods and moves to get into his truck but she stops him with a call of his name. He turns back and she says, “She’s a real cutie. And I’ve been told beagles are very loyal dogs.”

 

“Okay?” he says, a little confused by the radiant grin she’s sporting, but she just waves him off as she gets into her own truck and takes off toward the bar.

**Author's Note:**

> Michael finds a puppy locked in the trunk of an old car at Sanders'. He takes her to a vet and she's dehydrated and malnourished, but will be okay.


End file.
